Multi-signal systems are used in many applications that require processing multiple signals and/or transmitting multiple signals. Applications include multi-antenna systems for wireless communications in which multiple signals are received from multiple antennas, and multi-sensor systems in which multiple measurements are taken from multiple sensors.
For example, the use of multi-antenna systems has emerged as a great innovation success in modern wireless communications. By exploiting space as the extra dimension, traditionally problematic multi-path propagation is transformed into a key advantage. In particular, the benefits of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) communications, including array gain, diversity gain, spatial multiplexing gain, and interference reduction are achieved at no extra increase in spectrum. This has prompted vast amounts of research in MIMO for high data rates, enhanced quality of service (QoS), and improved reliability for future generations of wireless communications.
However, a drawback of current multi-antennas systems is that multiple RF chains, baseband blocks and analog to digital converters need to be duplicated for each antenna. Consequently, considerable increases in power consumption and chip area, both of which are expensive commodities in densely integrated systems, are required.
Therefore, there is a need for multi-signal systems that overcome drawbacks of current multi-signal systems including multi-signal systems that propagate multiple signals through shared blocks to reduce power consumption and chip area.